The Greyhounds of the Comte de Choiseul 1866

Gustave Courbet painted these greyhounds, sometime in the mid-19th century in France. Dogs like these were potent symbols of aristocratic privilege. The Comte de Choiseul was part of a social class that had a long tradition of commissioning art. The very act of painting these greyhounds is embedded in a complex network of social relations between artists, patrons, and the institutions that supported them. In this way, it is a loaded image. As an artist, Courbet was interested in Realism. It's possible he chose this subject to make a statement about the state of the French aristocracy, using his realistic style to expose the superficiality of noble status. Did he believe it was his role to democratize art? Did he wish to challenge the status quo by turning the institutions of art on their head? To interpret this painting more fully, we might investigate estate records to learn more about the Comte, and delve into the archives of French art academies to understand the artistic climate in which Courbet worked. Art’s meaning is always tied to its social and institutional context.